1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to stuffing horns and, more particularly, to the extrusion of a meat product through a stuffing horn.
2. Background Art
A wide variety of products, such as food products, require processing before use by or sale to consumers. Generally, food products are processed in various combinations of a plurality of stages, for example marinating, cutting, deboning, breading, adding spices, cooking, dicing, brazing, searing, freezing, and packaging, and combinations thereof. In particular, a known processing system provides for the transportation of meat food products, such as chicken breasts or tenders, from a marinating tumbler to an oven. The product can also be a ground meat product or meat batter that can be formed into a final product having a particular shape or form factor after being extruded through a horn device and subsequently placed in a bag that is vacuum sealed. Alternatively a meat cut could be channeled through a horn device and into a sealed bag. This type of system can be a continuous food processing system whereby an edible food strand of meat or the like is extruded to be processed into a product or a desired meat cut could be provided. The product may have a coating material that may consist of a mixture or gel with a coagulatable protein, and reinforcing means. The exterior of the product is subject to contamination prior packaging.
The meat food products are deposited onto an uncovered oven belt or other conveyor belt as it is being processed, which can pass through an oven to cook the meat food products. In such a system, a plurality of uncovered conveyor belts can be used to transfer the meat food product from for example a marinating tumbler through a press belt and onto the oven belt. A plurality of operators can also be employed to ensure that the meat food products are evenly distributed on the conveyor in order to avoid pile up, reduce floor loss and on oven belts in order to cook the meat food products uniformly and thoroughly. Often along these conveyor paths, the meat product can be treated with a spray to reduce or eliminate pathogens.
Such an uncovered processing system, in which the food products are not transported in enclosed conduits, but rather, are exposed to the atmosphere between the various processing stages, which has several disadvantages. Disadvantages include, incorrect application of spray and unpredictable results.
Such a method is generally known. These known methods are being used for the extrusion of sausage or sausage-like materials or other protein based products. In principal this method involves the extrusion through an extrusion horn a product such as that of a sausage mix. Another embodiment is the channeling of a meat cut through a horn into a bag.
Existing equipment and processes have other shortcomings. Among these shortcomings are extruders which are complex and cannot be easily adjusted so that the diameter of the food strand can be easily adjusted. Conveyors used for the strand are open and invite unwanted lateral movement of the strand during movement through the conveyer trough, and contamination is possible. Conveyor systems combined with spray systems to reduce or eliminate pathogens can result inconsistent reduction and inconsistent spray application. Also, a spray system in combination with a conveyor system can result in post spray exposure to pathogens as the product continues along the conveyor path.